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​When the words dry up, a great way to jump over the wall is to use writing prompts. In fact, it’s a means to find a story idea or simply give your writing muscle a workout. There are many generators online that’ll provide a prompt you can run with. Sci-Fi is my genre and a generator I’m particularly fond of is <http://www.scifiideas.com/story-idea-generator/>.

Another way to find writing prompts is to watch and listen. A good writer is a professional observer. It’s amazing what you’ll see and hear if you take a moment to become aware of what is going on around you. For example, this morning I was at the market. Standing at the checkout, I overheard two cashiers chatting about their night out.

The two girls gossiped about someone named Heather and they were sure the b@itch was hiding something. Heather came into the bar and talked to a man no one knew. Yes, I know it’s rather lame. But hey, it was the supermarket. Below is what I came up with.

I sit alone. Taking a sip of the amber liquid, I let the fire linger on my tongue. The warmth fills me and I swirl what is left in the tumbler. A strong smell of stale beer assaults my nose which conflicts with sweet aroma of my whiskey.

The front door opens and a short woman walks in. She isn’t tall, not even reaching five feet but her presence is bold and thick. Hair short and choppy, it mottles around her face like strands of cord. Our eyes meet and I hold her forest green eyes for only a moment. In between the depths emerald, there is a fire, a spark which reminds me of a slow burn ready to flare at any moment.

I nod to her, she does so in return. A man at the bar calls out, grabbing her attention from me. She laughs, hearty and throaty which I may add, is amazing since she has no neck. Her head sits on broad shoulders and there’s nothing in between.

“Heather?” the man sitting on the stool asks to the woman. She nods. “Did you bring it?”

“Yes, but it wasn’t easy for me to get it,” Heather replies clutching her purse.

I lean closer to listen. I know that it’s not the polite thing to do but I can’t help myself. What does the woman have? Why does the man want it?

The woman sits on a barstool and I can see her profile. The slow smoldering smile on her lips is what I expect. She is going to make the man work for it. I just know it.

“Buy me lunch and we can discuss terms. I’m hungry and want a hamburger and fries. A beer too.”

So what do you think? Are you wondering what Heather has in her purse. I know I am. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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​ ​​ As a writer, I spin tales to take the reader away from everyday life, if only for a few hours. However, becoming a published author and reaching readers is a struggle. Writers sit in front of laptops and tap away in hopes of creating the next great American novel. But what happens after the manuscript is written and edited?​ It was a dilemma for a few of my fellow writers and me. One Sunday night at Denny’s we pondered the question. Sending query letters to publishers is nerve wrecking. It takes the stars to be aligned just right to connect and get a contract. We knew there had to be another solution. Yes, self-publishing on Amazon is an option, but the writers at the Sunday Night Write In knew there had to be other alternatives. So in January, the idea of starting a publishing company for authors in the 518 was spawned. The 518 Publishing Company, LLC has been created to help writers in the 518 to publication. We will make it happen.

~Lizette Strait

518 Publishing

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